Setting up and managing email on iPhone (iOS)

Setting up and Managing Email on the iPhone

If you want to use your CURIAWEB email address on an iPhone or iPad, you can set up the account directly in the Apple Mail app. To do this, you only need your full email address, the corresponding password, and the server details for incoming and outgoing mail.

This guide shows you how to manually add and correctly configure an email account under iOS or iPadOS, and how to fix typical problems when sending, receiving, or deleting emails. The steps apply analogously to iPhone and iPad. Depending on the iOS version, individual menu items may be named slightly differently.

IMAP or POP3: Which should you use on the iPhone?

During manual setup, Apple Mail asks whether you want to set up the account as IMAP or POP. For modern usage across multiple devices, IMAP is the right choice in most cases.

With IMAP, your messages remain stored on the mail server. If you read, delete, or move an email to a folder on your iPhone, this change will also be visible in Webmail, on your iPad, or on your computer. This ensures consistent and clean synchronization.

POP, on the other hand, typically downloads emails locally to a single device. This can result in messages no longer being fully available on other devices or folders not synchronizing correctly. POP is therefore only recommended for specific use cases.

Information required before setup

Before beginning the setup, have the following details ready:

• Email address: Your full address, for example info@yourdomain.ch
• Password: The password of the email account
• Incoming mail server: usually mail.yourdomain.ch
• Outgoing mail server: usually mail.yourdomain.ch
• Username: the full email address

Recommended Server Settings for iPhone and iPad

In the following details, replace yourdomain.ch with your actual domain.

If your iPhone alternatively offers SMTP port 587 with STARTTLS, this variant can also work. However, for a simple and stable setup, port 465 with SSL/TLS is often the obvious choice.

Step-by-Step: Setting up an Email Account on the iPhone

The iPhone will then automatically check the settings. If all information is correct, the account will be saved and will subsequently appear in the Mail app.

Entering the Incoming Mail Server

In the Incoming Mail Server section, you record the IMAP details for receiving your messages:

• Hostname: mail.yourdomain.ch
• Username: Your full email address
• Password: Password of your email account

After saving, you can verify the advanced settings. The IMAP port should be 993 and SSL should be enabled.

Entering the Outgoing Mail Server

In the Outgoing Mail Server section, you record the SMTP details for sending:

• Hostname: mail.yourdomain.ch
• Username: Your full email address
• Password: Password of your email account

Checking SMTP Settings Afterward

If you can receive emails but cannot send them, you should check the SMTP settings. To do this, open:

Settings > Mail > Accounts > [Your Account] > Account > SMTP

Select the primary server there and check the following details:

• Server: Enabled
• Hostname: mail.yourdomain.ch
• Username: Full email address
• Password: Password of the email account
• Use SSL: Enabled
• Server Port: 465

Save the settings afterward and test sending with a new email to an external address.

Checking Advanced IMAP Settings

The advanced settings are important if there are problems with retrieval, SSL, or folders. You can usually find these settings under:

Settings > Mail > Accounts > [Your Account] > Account > Advanced

Check specifically there:

• Use SSL: Enabled
• Authentication: Password
• Server Port: 993
• IMAP Path Prefix: Usually leave blank unless explicitly stated otherwise

Changing the Signature on the iPhone

By default, Apple Mail often inserts a mobile signature such as Sent from my iPhone. You can change or remove this signature.

To do this, open Settings > Mail > Signature. There you can determine whether a signature should be used for all accounts or a separate signature per account.

Deleting Emails: Error message "Unable to Move Message"

If the message Unable to Move Message appears when deleting an email, this is often due to an incorrect assignment of the IMAP folders. The iPhone then tries to move the message to a trash folder that is not correctly assigned on the server.

To check, open:

Settings > Mail > Accounts > [Your Account] > Account > Advanced

In the Mailbox Behaviors section, check the assignment for deleted messages. For Deleted Mailbox, choose the matching trash folder on the server, for example Trash, Deleted Items, or Bin.

Synchronizing Sent Emails and Drafts Correctly

In addition to the trash, other special folders should also be correctly mapped. This includes in particular:

• Sent: For sent messages
• Drafts: For saved drafts
• Deleted / Trash: For deleted messages
• Archive: If you use archive functions

If these folders are assigned incorrectly, sent emails may be visible on the iPhone but missing in Webmail or on the computer. Therefore, always check the assignment in the Mailbox Behaviors section if there are synchronization problems.

Fetch, Push, and Notifications

iOS can fetch emails automatically or at specific intervals depending on the account type and server support. You can find the settings under:

Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data

There you can determine how often new messages are fetched. A short fetch interval ensures faster notifications but can use more battery. A longer interval saves energy but may display new messages with a delay.

If you do not receive notifications, check the iOS notification settings additionally under Settings > Notifications > Mail.

Common Problems During Setup on the iPhone

Changing or Updating the Password

If you change the password of your email account in cPanel, you must also update the new password on the iPhone. Otherwise, Apple Mail can no longer connect to the server.

Depending on the iOS version, the iPhone automatically asks for the new password. If not, open the account settings manually and enter the new password for both the incoming mail server and the SMTP server.

Spam Protection on the iPhone

Spam emails are particularly disruptive on the iPhone because they trigger push notifications, consume storage space, and clutter the inbox overview. Effective spam protection should therefore take effect on the server side if possible, before unwanted messages are synchronized to the iPhone.

If you receive a large number of unwanted emails, check the spam filter settings in cPanel first. Depending on the hosting environment and requirements, additional filter solutions can help reduce spam even before delivery.

Further information about the optional SpamExperts spam filter can be found here: SpamExperts Spam Filter at CURIAWEB.

Summary

Setting up a CURIAWEB email address on the iPhone is straightforward with the correct server data. Use IMAP for most accounts so that your emails remain synchronized between iPhone, iPad, Webmail, and computer. The correct hostname, the full email address as username, and the correct SSL/port settings are crucial.

If receiving works but sending fails, you should almost always check the SMTP settings first. If emails cannot be deleted or moved, the cause is frequently the assignment of the IMAP folders under Mailbox Behaviors.

Tip: Always test receiving and sending after setup. Send a message to your own account and additionally to an external email address.